Policing Minister Sarah Jones welcomed new figures that showed knife robberies had dropped in hotspots and 3,000 county lines networks had been shut down
Knife-point robberies have plummeted by 15% since June last year in worst-affected areas, encouraging new data shows.
Figures from the Home Office show more than 3,000 county lines networks have been shut down. The department said an estimated 2,500 fewer people experienced the fear of being robbed by an attacker wielding a knife.
And more than 8,000 arrests have been made in tackling drug smuggling operations which often involve the exploitation of children. The data shows over 4,000 youngsters and vulnerable people were given support to turn them away from gangs.
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Policing Minister Sarah Jones told The Mirror Labour’s pledge to turn the tide on knife crime is being delivered. She wrote: “This progress hasn’t happened by accident. We’ve looked at what will work.”
Under the Government’s County Lines Programme, 3,042 county lines have closed and 8,226 arrests have been made since July 2024. The Home Office said 923 knives have been seized, and 4,323 safeguarding referrals have been made.
Labour came to power pledging to halve knife crime within a decade. Pooja Kanda, whose 16-year-old son Ronan was murdered by two teenagers with a ninja sword in 2022, welcomed the figures.
She said: “While there is always more to do, I can’t thank the government enough for this work, and this progress shows what can be achieved when lived experience, campaigners, and government work together to tackle youth violence and strengthen protections for young people and communities, so no other family has to experience the loss that mine has.”
Kate Wareham, strategic director of anti-knife crime organisation Catch22 said: “With thousands of children at risk of exploitation, we are really encouraged to see the progress being made by the Home Office in tackling county lines. Its County Lines Programme is having a significant impact in stopping criminal gangs, safeguarding exploited vulnerable people, and keeping communities safe.”
In October last year (2024) the Government launched a Knife-Enabled Robbery (KER) Taskforce focusing on seven worst-affected areas. These included forces London, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire and British Transport Police.
These areas recorded a 15% drop in knife-enabled robberies – from 16,067 to 13,633 offences.